geaves



(No Model.)

0. FOGELBERG & G. W. GRAVES.

KEYBOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

No. 245,616. Patented Aug. 16,1881.

XX/fl ESSEE. 22% I1 am. Q ZZQQM NITED STATES PATENT OFFICEO CARL FOGELBERG AND GEORGE W. GRAVES, OF CAMBRIDGEPORT, MASS.

KEY-BOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 245,616, dated August 16, 1881,

Application filed January 4, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, CARL FOGELBERG and GEORGE W. GRAVES, both citizens of the.

United States, and both residing at Cambridgeport, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Key-Boards for Musical Instruments and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in key-boards for musicalinstrumentsof that class in which more than one bank of keys is used; and it consists in having the keys of the upper bank resting directly upon the keys of the bank below it, by which arrangement a portion of the keys on the lower bank can be operated simultaneously with a different portion of the keys on the upper bank by means of the fingers on one single hand for the purpose of producing stronger melodies and greater variations than could be accomplished on the ordinary double-bank key-boards, in which one bank is located independently of the other, and so far away, above and behind it, that both banks cannot be played on the same time with the fingers of one single hand.

With our improved key boards a player is enabled to play the melody on either bank or on both at the same time with one hand, and the accompaniment on the lower bank only, without interfering with the upper bank. Either bank of keys may be arranged to operate pipes, reeds, or piano or striking devices of any kind, such as strings, bells, bars, or equivalent devices.

In church-organs the lower bank of keys may be arranged to operate the regular pipes and the upper ones a solo set, or vice versa.

In combined string and wind instruments the lower bank of keys may be arranged to operate the strings and the upper ones the reeds or pipes, or vice versa, as may be desired.

In combination with two banks of keys arranged as above described, we use an uncoupler located between the upper and lower bank,

which is operated by means of any of the ordinary stop mechanisms, and a coupler located below the lower bank, and which is also operated by a suitable stop mechanism, such stop mechanisms being, however, not shown'in the drawings. When the uncoupler is moved forward the upper bank of keys is raised, so that either bank may be played on independently of the other. When the coupler is moved forward both banks of keys are coupled together, so that they are simultaneously acted upon when either of them is depressed.- When both the uncoupler-and coupler are moved backward the lower bank is independent of the upper one, and the upper bank rests on the lower one, so that both are acted upon simultaneously when the upper one is depressed; but the lower bank can be played on without affecting the upper one, as will hereinafter be more fully shown and described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, on which- Figure 1 represents a plan view of the keyboards. Fig. 2 represents a sectional side elevation, seen from 00 in Fig. 1, showing both the coupler and uncoupler moved backward. Fig. 3 represents a sectional side elevation, showing the coupler moved forward and the uncoupler moved backward; and Fig. 4 represents a sectional side elevation, showing the uncoupler moved. forward and the coupler moved backward for the purposes set forth.

Similar letters refer to similar parts where 'ever they occur on the different parts of the drawings.

In the drawings, a is the reed board of a musical instrument. a

b is the tube-board, with its reeds c 0, pushpin (1, and valve 0, with its valve springf, as usual.

9 is the stem bar, and h is the key-frame, in the ordinary way.

i is the back catch, on which the rear ends of the keys are supported, as shown.

is k represent the upper bank of keys, which rest directly upon the lower bank of keys, I l,

as shown in Fig. 2, for the purpose set forth.

In the drawings the lower bank of keys, Z l, are shown as operating the reeds c c by means of intermediate push pins, d d, and the upper banks of keys, 7c is, are shown as operating the pipe-valve m for the pipe m (one for each key) by means of intermediate push-pins, n n, and levers 0 0, as shown; but the pipes and reeds may be reversed in relation to the upper and lower banks of keys, and either of the latter maybe arranged to operate strings, bells, orbars without departing from the spirit of our invcntion.

a is a button on each of the push-pins n, below the lower keys, I l, and p is the laterallyadjustable coupler, for the purpose set forth, which, when moved forward to the position shown in Fig. 3, between the lower side of the key l and upper part of the button a, couples both banks of keys together, so that both are operated simultaneously when either is depressed.

q is the laterally-adjustable uncoupler interposed between the upper part of each push-pin n and its corresponding upper-bank key is k, which uncoupler may be jointed to a suitable link, 1', as shown, or in any other suitable manner. WVhen the uncoupler q is moved forward to the position shown in Fig. 4 the keys 7c 70 of the upper bank are raised, so that the keys of either bank can be operated independently of the other, for the purpose set forth. When both the coupler p and uncouplerq are moved backward, as shown in Fig. 2, the keys on the lower bank can be operated independently of the upper ones, and both banks of keys operated together when the keys of the upper bank are depressed.

The coupler as well as the uncoupler for each key in the banks is operated forward and back by means of suitable stop mechanism, thelatter being, however, not shownin the drawings.

What we wish to secure by Letters Patent, and claim, is-

1. In double-bank key-boards for musical instruments, the keys is k of the upper bank, resting directly upon the keys I l of the lower bank, for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with the keys k k of the upper bank, resting upon the keys I l of the lower bank, as described, the adjustable coupler 1), for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with the keys k 70 of the upper bank, resting upon the keys Z Z of the lower bank, as set forth, the adj nstabe uncoupler q, for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination with the keys 1a 7a of the upper bank, resting upon the keys ll of the lower bank, as'set forth, the adjustable coupler and adjustable uncoupler q, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we have affixed our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

CARL FOGELBERG. GEORGE W. GRAVES.

Witnesses ALBAN ANDRJtN, HENRY CHADBOURN. 

